Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1887-02-18
The Lost Diamond Snuff Box.

The grand old kingdom of England, /,
in the course of the messy centuries you
can count over its head, has had its times
of gloom and depression at dangers that
looked near, and its times of shouting
and rejoicing over dangers its brave
men had driven away out of sight
again.
One of the deepest seasons of gloom
was when the French Emperor, Napo-
leon, had conquered one country after
another, until there was scarcely any
thing but England left TO attack; and
one of the proudest times of rejoicing
was when the "Iron Duke" Wellington,
and the bluff old Prussian, Blucher.
met him at Waterloo, defeated his
armies and drove him from the field.
There were bonfires, bellringings then,
and from that day onward England
loved and cherished every man who had
fought at Waterloo-from the Iron Duke
himself down to the plainest private,
every one was hero and veteran.
In one of the humblest cottages of a
proud noblemai's estate, a low, white
washed cottage, one of these veterans
lived not so many years ago. He had
fought by his flag in one of the most
gallant regiments until the last hour OF
the battle, and then had fallen disabled
from active service for the rest of his
life.
That did not seem to be of so very
great consequence, though, just now;
for peace reigned in the land. and with
his wife and two beautiful daughters to
love, his battles to think over, and his
pension to provide the bread and coffee.
the old soldier WAS as happy as the day
was long. 1t made no difference that
the bread and the coffee were both
black, and the clothes OF the veteran
were coarse and seldom new.
"Hu. Peggy1' he used to say to his
wife, "my cloak is fine as the one the
Iron Duke wore when they carried me
past him Just as the French were break
ing; and as for the bread, only vet
eran knows how the recollection Of vic
tory makes everything taste sweet"
But it seemed as if the old soldiers
life was going to prove like his share in
that great day at Waterloo-a success
and victory till the end had nearly
come, and then one shot after another
striking him with troubles he could
never get over.
The first came in the midst of the
beautiful summer days, when the bees
droned through the delicious air, the
rose bush was in bloom, and the old SOL
dier sat in the cottage door reveling in
IL all. A slow. merciless fever rose up
through the soft air-it did not venture
near the high ground where the castle
stood, but it crept noiselessly into the
whitewashed cottage, one night, and
the soldiers two daughters were strick-
en- down. This was the beginning of
terrible trouble TO the veteran Of Water
loo. Not that he minded watching, for
he was used to standing sentry all night,
and as for nursing, be had seen plenty
of the hospital; but to see his daughters
suffering-that was what he could not
bear!
And worst of all, betwees medicines
and necessaries for the sick, the three
months pension was quite used up, and
when the old soldiers nursing had
pulled through the ierceness Of the
fever, there was nothing but black
bread i'm the house-and black bread was
almost the same as no bread at all TO the
dainty appetites the fever had left; and
that was what he had to think of, and
think of, as he sat in the cottage door.
"Bah." said the old soldier, with
something more like groan than was
ever heard from him while his wounds
were being dressed, 81 could face all the
armies of Napoleon better than this"
And he sat more and more in the cot
tage door, as if that could leave the
trouble behind; but it stood staring be.
fore him, all the same, till it almost shut
the rose-bush and the bees out Of sight
But one morning a tremendous surprise
came to him like flash ou. Of the sky
He heard the sound of galloping troops
and he pricked up his ears, for that al
WAYS made him think of cavalry
charge.
"who goes there?" he cried; bu
without answering his challenge TIT
sound came nearer and nearer, and
| lackey in full livery dashed up to III